Galatians 6:1-5

                                                                     Galatians 6:1-5

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.  Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.  For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself.  But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor.  For each will have to bear his own load.

 

It is not easy to deal with sin and its effects.  Our fallen hearts are drawn to this sin that Satan and society constantly tempts us to practice.  Even believers will struggle and fall in this area.  How do we deal with a brother in Christ who has been overcome by sin?  How do we avoid this kind of pitfall?  These are the questions Paul seeks to answer in this passage.

 

PRACTICE RESTORATION: As a rule, people do not “fall” into sin; generally, people advance steadily in a direction of sinfulness over time.  The problem with sin is that it always takes us farther and keeps us longer than we intend.  When we see a brother in Christ that has been overcome by any sinful practice, our responsibility is to practice the ministry of restoration.  We must seek to bring them to a point where they recognize their sin, repent of it, and begin the process of helping then return to the path of obedience.  This is the most loving thing we can do, and we must restore gently, out of love and with a spirit of humility.  It is only by God’s grace that we are not overcome by sin and if we approach this ministry with pride, we run the risk of being overcome ourselves.

 

PARTICIPATE IN RELATIONSHIPS: One of the greatest dangers we face in this fallen world is isolation.  Any time we become isolated or try to live independently of one another we are placing ourselves at risk.  When we face or see others facing a burden, we must ask for or offer help.  The Christian life is meant to be lived in community.  The law of Christ is to love others the way we wish to be loved and the way that He has loved us.  None of us are capable of standing on our own without the help of others.  Pride and self-reliance are the certain precursors of being overcome by sin.  Intentionality in building relationships is key to the prevention of being overcome by sin.

 

PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: The final verses of this paragraph seem to contradict the previous ones.  However, they are not meant to contradict; instead, they are intended to balance.  It is never appropriate for us to isolate ourselves from others, but it is also never appropriate to blame others for our failures.  Each person is responsible for their own reality and must not make excuses about how others have not been helpful or loving enough.  We are to examine ourselves but never compare ourselves to others.  Comparison will only lead to pride or discouragement, both of which are tools of the enemy against us.  God has promised not to allow us to be tempted beyond the resources He provides to either escape or stand firm.

 

APPLICATION: Humbly help those who have been overcome by sin and give every effort to restore them to obedience.  Build relationships that provide accountability and assistance in our battle against sin and temptation.  Don’t compare ourselves to others or place blame upon others when we struggle with or are overcome by sin.

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